Let’s set the targets together

The WHO Secretariat has released a “zero draft” of the global voluntary targets for road safety risk factors and service delivery mechanisms for road traffic injuries (available at www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_traffic/road-safety-targets/en). The aim is to accelerate the progress towards safer roads, which will be facilitated with the setting of performance targets and indicators.

WHO is calling for your comments on the targets.

This is what you can do:

The contributions received in response to the WHO Discussion Paper will be published online. Informal consultations will take place at UNECE’s Working Party 29 and the UN Road Safety Collaboration. 

Road traffic injuries are the ninth leading cause of death globally, responsible for over 1.25 million deaths each year. To accelerate action to reduce this burden, the United Nations General Assembly declared a Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020). Recognising the obstacle that road traffic injuries present to development efforts, Member States also included a specific target on road safety (SDG 3.6) in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Accelerating progress towards safer roads will be facilitated with the setting of performance targets and indicators. World Health Assembly Resolution 69.7, adopted in May 2016, requested WHO, in collaboration with other UN agencies and the UN Regional Commissions, to continue facilitating a transparent, sustainable and participatory process with all stakeholders to assist interested countries to develop voluntary global performance targets on key risk factors and service delivery mechanisms to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries.

In response to WHA 69.7, the process which the WHO Secretariat will follow to develop the global performance targets is as follows: 

  • September 2016: Meeting with technical road safety experts was convened to discuss candidate global targets for the prevention and control of road traffic injuries, associated indicators and the mechanism for collecting this information in order to generate a draft WHO Discussion Paper.
  • 31 October 2016:The WHO Secretariat released a WHO Discussion Paper containing a “zero draft” (version dated 31 October 2016) of the global voluntary targets for road safety risk factors and service delivery mechanisms for road traffic injuries, (available at who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_traffic/road-safety-targets/en). The Discussion Paper is available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish. 
  • Until 30 November 2016:Member States and Agencies of the UN system are invited to submit their comments in response to the WHO Discussion Paper (available at who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_traffic/road-safety-targets/en) by sending an email to roadsafetytarget@who.int. Non-State actors are also invited to submit their views using the same process. The contributions received in response to the WHO Discussion Paper will be published online. Informal consultations will take place at UNECE’s Working Party 29 and the UN Road Safety Collaboration. 
  • 28 November 2016:From 10:00 to 13:00 (Salle A, WHO HQ). The WHO Secretariat will convene an informal session of Member States with a view to seek comments from Permanent Missions in Geneva on the WHO Discussion Paper.
  • January 2017:The WHO Secretariat will publish a first revision of the Discussion Paper.
  • January to March 2017: The first revision of the discussion paper will go through another web-based consultation, as well as an informal Member State consultation and consultations with the Inland Transport Committee (UNECE) and UNECE’s Working Party 1. Non-State actors will be invited to submit their views on this revision through the web-based process and through dialogues that will be organized with nongovernmental organizations and the private sector.
  • June 2017: The WHO Secretariat will publish a second revision of the Discussion Paper.
  • September to November 2017:The WHO Secretariat will convene a global Formal Meeting of Member States and UN Agencies. The Formal Meeting will take place at WHO in Geneva. The Formal Meeting will result in a report which will be transmitted to the 142nd session of the Executive Board for consideration by Member States. Member States may decide at the Formal Meeting that the report will include a final set of global targets for road safety risk factors and service delivery mechanisms.
  • January 2018:The 142nd session of the Executive Board will consider the report of the Formal Meeting, which may include a final set of global targets for consideration by Member States.
  • May 2018: Member States will consider the report of the Formal Meeting at the 71st World Health Assembly.